Michigan Tech adds international skiers to team roster

Mon, Jun  3, 2019 - By MNU

HOUGHTON, Mich. – The Michigan Tech Nordic Ski Team along with coaches Tom Smith and Kristen Monahan are pleased to announce that seven student-athletes will join the Huskies for the 2019-20 season.

Michigan Tech's incoming class will add four women's skiers and three men's skiers to the team rosters for the 2019-20 season. The incoming class is represented with student-athletes from Norway, Switzerland, Finland, Idaho, Minnesota, Vermont, and Michigan.

"The 2018-19 season was a great year all around for our program, and it's going to be awesome having this strong recruiting class come in with great leadership from our returning class," said Smith. "We take utmost pride in our student-and-athlete successes with our program, and 2018-19 was a year that showcased our team successes on and off the trails."

"Our 15 USCSCA All-Academic student-athletes had the most honorees of any NCAA collegiate Nordic Ski Team in the country," Smith continued. "Along with their academic success, we return 4 NCAA Championship student-athlete competitors, 8 of whom were NCAA All-Region honorees. Our 2019-20 roster will contain eight women and fourteen men."

Anabel Needham

Sophia Mazzoni – Ketchum, Idaho

Sophia Mazzoni had a breakthrough season in 2018-19 achieving multiple U.S. Ski & Snowboard All-American honors and representing the U.S.A. at the 2019 World Junior Ski Championships in Lahti, Finland. At the 2019 U.S. Cross Country Ski Championships in Craftsbury, VT Mazzoni came home with a 2nd place finish in the Classic Sprint and a 5th place finish in the Classic 10km races. At the 2019 Junior National Championships in Anchorage, AK she placed 2nd in the Classic 10km, 8th in the Skate 5km, and 5th in the 3x3km Relay coming home with three All-American honors. She competed in the Classic Sprint and Classic 15km races at the 2019 World Junior Ski Championships in Lahti, Finland, placing top 50 in the world in both events. Sophia is a rock start runner as well having just earned two podium results in the 800m & 1600m at the Idaho High School Athletic Association State Meet.

• High School: Community School
• Club: Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation

Cédric Keller – Gonten, Switzerland

Cédric Keller is a Swiss National Champion and 2018 World Junior Championship competitor. He was the Swiss National Champion in 2015 in the Classic Distance, 2nd in 2017 in the Classic Sprint and Classic Distance, and 2nd in 2018 in the Skate Sprint. Keller has vast experience competing in the Alpen Cup consisting of all mainland European countries, having earned top 20 results in Alpen Cup races every year since 2014. He represented Switzerland at the 2018 World Junior Championships in Goms, Switzerland, earning top 50 in the world in the Skate Sprint. Keller is extremely motivated, loves the team environment that NCAA collegiate athletics provides, and will join Michigan Tech in spring 2020 upon completion of service in the Swiss army.

• High School: Davos Sports School
• Club: Swiss National U20 Team

Henriette Semb – Asker, Norway

Henriette Semb has been a consistent national championship junior competitor in Norway. She's achieved top 20 National Junior Championship results for the past three seasons, and multiple top 15 National Junior Cup results in 2018-19, highlighted by a 14th place result in the National Junior Championship Classic Sprint in 2018 at the famed Holmenkollen. Henreitte is an exceptional student with near perfect GPA and test scores, and will add great experience and culture to our team.

• High School: Asker Upper Secondary School
• Club: Asker Ski Club

Aleksi Leino – Tampere, Finland

Aleksi Leino is a transfer student-athlete coming to us from Tampere University in Finland. As a graduate student, Aleski will be looking to study in our new Mechatronics Program. He has achieved numerous top 30 results at Finnish National Championships the past three years, with a highlight result of 24th in the Classic 30km Finnish National Championships in 2017 in Kontiolahti. Aleksi is excited to experience our American Finnish culture here in the Keweenaw and compete for the Huskies.

• University: Tampere University
• Club: Jämsänkosken Ilves

Emma Albrecht – Stillwater, Minnesota

We are lucky to have two Albrecht's on the 2019-20 Nordic roster with the addition of Emma Albrecht, sister to Josh Albrecht. Emma had a rock star season in 2018-19 culminating it with two 5th place results in the Skate 5km and Classic 10km races at the 2019 Junior National Championships in Anchorage, Alaska.

• High School: Stillwater Area High School
• Club: Loppet Nordic Racing

Adam Witkowski – Peru, Vermont

Adam Witkowski is six time U.S. Ski & Snowboard All-American. In 2018 Adam took 4th place in the Skate Sprint and 8th place in the Classic 10km races at the U.S. Junior National Championships in Soldier Hollow, Utah. This season Adam took home four All-American honors with a 4th in the Classic 15km, 5th in the Skate 3x3km Relay, 7th in the Classic Sprint, and 9th in the Skate 10km races at the 2019 U.S. Junior Nationals Championships in Anchorage, AK. Adam has proved he's a championship skier and we're looking forward to adding him to our already strong contingent of returning American men.

• High School: Stratton Mountain School
• Club: Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation

Anabel Needham – Houghton, Michigan

Anabel Needham is our hometown hero! She has been an incredible three sport student-athlete throughout her high school career in Nordic, Cross Country and Track & Field, and we look forward to continuing to develop her strong skiing and running capacities as a student-athlete with us at Tech. She highlighted her 2018-19 Nordic season with a top 20 result in the Skate 5km race at the 2019 U.S. Junior National Championships in Anchorage, AK, and produced the 4th fastest leg in the U20 3x3 Relay.

• High School: Houghton High School
• Club: Copper Country Ski Tigers